Correlation between Body Temperature and Infarct Size and Recovery in the Stroke

ABSTRACT

Cerebral ischemia in experimental animals was worsened by hyperthermia, whereas was improved by hypothermia. Whether these observations apply to human beings with stroke is unknown. The objective of this study is to determine the relation between body temperature of stroke patient on admission and infarct size and functional recovery. In a retrospective study, 101 charts of stroke patients who had been admitted to the hospital were reviewed. Initial body temperature on admission, infarct size, and functional recovery were checked and analyzed. Based on body temperature differences, cases were divided into three groups, hypothermia, normothermia, and hyperthermia group. Infarct size was measured by computed tomography. Functional recovery was evaluated with functional independence measure(FIM) on admission and discharge. Multiple regression of ANOVA and Student's T-test were used for statistical analysis. Results disclosed that body temperature had no correlation with functional recovery but cases with initial high body temperature trended to increase in infarct size.